Notes From Aug 9 Hybrid Experience Listening Session

OEGlobal 2026 Front Entrance
1

A big thanks to participants in last week’s online Listening Session on Hybrid Experiences co-planned with Equity Unbound. For an open session, we opted not to record and hope that the activities produce ideas that can further the idea.

Below are my own bits of summary, note that the Slides and notes from group breakouts are available at https://bit.ly/listening-hybrid.

From Registered Participants

For the event registration we asked for an indication if they were planning to attend OEGlobal 2026, here with a count of responses: in person (19), online (9), no (10), or unsure (10).

We also asked for an open ended response to " What are your experiences as a hybrid conference attendee?" which are as one might expected quite varied:

  • Aside from virtually connecting, I haven’t experienced an intentionally designed hybrid conference before
  • Attended and presented at many
  • Depends entirely on how it is organised. Can be excellent
  • depends on the design, I have not looked at the programme yet so I am unsure what to expect
  • Difficult to participate in anything as my work doesn’t stop. I basically attend sessions and try to schedule time later to watc
  • enhanced knowledge and networking
  • Feeling quite disconnected from the conference
  • getting more information at within a space of time
  • Good and bad. I’d like to know if by joining we’ll be seeing the presenter or the audience/room. Will the platform be Zoom?
  • Have loved the ALT OER and OpenEd hybrid conferences! Other disciplines hybrid less so
  • I have no experience
  • I have not really experienced a true Hybrid event, every conference has been more of a blended conference or streaming service.
  • I usually attend just public keynotes online - if I’m going to a full conference I usually attend in person.
  • I’ve done some where I’ve attended virtually and some where I’ve attended in person. In person, I tend to ignore the online side
  • In my situation, it feels very distant, you are unable to network, and one is unable to get deeper perspectives
  • In-Person: Great for organic networking and energy. Virtual: Ultimate flexibility and comfort, but lacks the live room magic
  • mixed depending on the conference.
  • Mixed. Mostly sucks. Occasionally great.
  • Multiple, both as attendee and organizer.
  • No experiences
  • None
  • Often bad, occasionally good
  • Often well-intentioned, but without specific roles assigned to facilitate real-time interaction, hybrid introduces hierarchy
  • Over a decade participating in various events.
  • Positive. Found ways to develop for myself those things I need to make these types of meetings transcend time and space.

TRIZ Activity

in Breakout groups we asked participants to consider a perhaps counter-intuitive prompt using the Creative Deconstruction (TRIZ) Liberating Structure activity – to (a) imagine the worst possible experience for you as online participant in hybrid conference. and then (b) to suggest the strategies to avoid these.

Participants added notes to editable slides in the presentation (starting at slide 10)

I’m no LLM, but my human summary , open to discussion, includes:

  • Worst Experiences Imagined
    • Not being seen, lonely, isolated spectator seat, limited view of screen only, not all content
    • no audience participation
    • Little/no support in room
    • focus on content over Discussion
    • time zone challenge (missing live sessions)
    • Can’t peek in audience ahead of time
    • finding links to sessions via calendar
    • no public conversation space
    • poor audio quality (loud, noise, uneven)
    • Chat ignored
  • Suggestions to Address
    • checking in with online participants, team support, both tech and activity
    • discussion channels, small groups discussion to share highlights
    • open discussions sessions outside of program
    • get togethers by interest/topic, open chat
    • rewatch missed sessions together
    • “Bridge” Person / Bridge “Steward”
    • virtual buddies
    • access to materials before session
    • Visual representations of ‘vibes’
    • honor the social element

Hallway conversations a la Virtually Connecting came up several times.

We also share here for anyone interest an anonymized version of the chat, no names or identifying info shared.
anon-zoom-chat.txt (16.3 KB)

Open For More Discussion

We are stiull very interested in ideas that can improve the hybrid experience for all attendees, what came out of the conversations last week are just a start. Feel free to reply here or add to the ideas padlet opened for this session.

And for more reference as we have had a few topics started here (beyond my zedonk metaphors)

A Listening Session on the Hybrid Conference Experience